Outdoor cooking apparatus

ABSTRACT

An improved outdoor cooking apparatus features a pot with multiple cooking inserts and burner frame that supports a burner element. One insert can be used for cooking an entire poultry carcass. Other inserts are perforated baskets that can be used to fry items.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/771,309,filed Jun. 29, 2007 (issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 7,770,514 on Aug. 10,2010), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/862,553, filed Jun. 7, 2004 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,476), which is anonprovisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/479,198, filed Jun. 17, 2003, each of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference, and priority of each is hereby claimed.

Priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/479,198,filed Jun. 17, 2003, incorporated herein by reference, is herebyclaimed.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to outdoor cooking devices that are fueledwith gaseous fuel (e.g. propane, butane) and more particularly to animproved outdoor cooking device that can be used in a number ofdifferent cooking situations including boiling, steaming, and with wateror oil as a cooking medium. Even more particularly, the presentinvention relates to an improved cooking apparatus that has a speciallyshaped pot and multiple food holding inserts that can optionally beplaced inside the pot. The inserts include one or more perforated pansfor frying food items such as fish, poultry, or vegetables and wherein aspecially configured insert can hold one or more entire poultrycarcasses.

2. General Background of the Invention

A number of outdoor cookers have been sold commercially for a number ofyears and are admitted as “prior art” type burners. These “prior art”burners have traditionally included a metallic frame that supports aburner nozzle, such as a cast iron burner nozzle. Such burner nozzlesare commercially available and are used to fire most natural gas firedhot water heaters.

Examples of these prior art type outdoor cooking devices can be seen inthe Jan. 1, 1996 brochure of Metal Fusion, Inc., of Jefferson, La.Patents have issued naming Norman Bourgeois as inventor that relate toburners and related cooking apparatus. Examples include U.S. Pat. No.5,065,735 for a “Convertible Burner Apparatus” that features differentprimary burner frames and legs that can elevate the burner frames. OtherBourgeois patents that relate to cooking devices include theaforementioned patent and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,321; 5,970,852; and6,058,830, each said Bourgeois patent hereby incorporated herein byreference.

The burner nozzle can be a cast iron hot water heater type burner nozzleor a jet burner arrangement that uses a single outlet centered in acylindrically-shaped, vertically oriented metallic tube. The most commonversion of the prior art “jet burner” arrangement is seen in MetalFusion's catalog as Model No. 90PK. Another version of this type ofcooker includes two spaced apart circular rings connected with strutsand having a cylindrically-shaped wind guard or shroud. This type ofprior art burner can be seen for example as Metal Fusion Model Nos.82PK, 83PK, 85PK, 86PK, and 86PKJ.

For cooking some food items such as poultry items, it is sometimesdesirable to fry the object in a basket that can be lifted from the pot.An example of this type of“prior art” arrangement is seen in the 1996Metal Fusion catalog as Model No. 32TPK. For a combination cookingarrangement that includes a burner, pot and liner, the user typicallyplaces the poultry item in the basket and lowers it into boiling oilusing a bail. In the prior art, bails have often been detachable fromthe basket so that the user can lower the basket into the pot and thecontained boiling oil and then remove the handle or bail therefrom. Thisallows the user to eliminate the transfer of heat from the basket to thehandle during the elongated cooking process.

A number of patents have issued that relate to cooking devices andutensils for use in combination with cooking vessels. The Walker U.S.Pat. No. 4,735,135 provides a utensil assembly and kit including samefor cooking vessels used in preparing and supporting combustibles abovethe bottom of the cooking vessel and away from its inner walls. Theutensil kit comprises a base supported above the bottom of the cookingvessel, a plurality of support attachments separately detachable andinterchangeably mountable on the base for supporting selectedcombustible products, and releasable latch mechanism having two parts,one part disposed on the base, and the other part is disposed on each ofthe support attachments for engaging the base. One of the utensils is apoultry support attachment that fits inside the cavity of a chicken orother poultry enabling it to be positioned upright.

The Rappaport U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,169, discloses a poultry supportingdevice that sits upon a base in the form of a pan.

A rotisserie cooking arrangement is disclosed in the French Patent2685862.

A roasting support for fowl is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,642. Theapparatus includes a longitudinally extending rod that extends throughthe center of the turkey having an eyelet at its upper end.

A roaster for poultry and meat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,602.The apparatus includes a vertical roasting apparatus wherein apredetermined amount of liquid for generating the moisture required toproduce a high quality and flavorful roasting of the meat is included ina reservoir formed within the support structure itself and disposedinternally of the poultry or meat being roasted.

A vertical spit for displaying roasting or warming is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,442,999.

A combination outdoor cooker and smoker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,531,154. The apparatus includes a cooker having a gas burner coupledto an external gas source through a control valve by a gas supplyconduit.

An Austrian patent 217592 discloses a cooking device that has a centralmember upon which a turkey or chicken is supported during the cookingoperation.

British patent 2205734A discloses a device for use in preparing andcooking kebabs that includes walls which are interconnected to define atube member and into which a first end wall is slidably received tofurther reinforce the shape formed by the sidewalls and whose endposition is determined by the engagement of lips projecting inwardlyfrom the sidewalls. The sidewalls are apertured longitudinally forreceiving a knife to cut food within the tube member.

Issued patents to Barbour (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,569 and 5,896,810)disclose a cooking apparatus directed to the frying of poultry itemssuch as turkeys.

Several patents have issued that are directed to a cooker or pot havinga spigot provided on the pot wall that enables liquid to be withdrawnfrom the pot via the spigot. An example of such an early patent is theSaroni U.S. Pat. No. 57,577 entitled “Apparatus for SteamingVegetables.” In the Saroni 577 patent, a spigot B is provided forwithdrawing liquid from the receptacle or pot.

The Paterson U.S. Pat. No. 74,123 discloses in FIG. 1 a spigot mountedon the wall of a pot.

The Durham U.S. Pat. No. 123,876 discloses a boiler (see FIGS. 1 and 3)in the form of a pot having handles and a lid H. The Durham '876 patentstates that one or more of the lower components are using for cookingsolids, and the others are either for soup or other liquid, the latter Cor either of them being provided with a tap D at the bottom for drawingoff the contents.

The Goodwyn U.S. Pat. No. 159,755 provides a cooking vessel. A faucet Bis provided at the lower end of the boiler A.

The Harper U.S. Pat. No. 1,054,114 discloses a furnace that includes avat that can be fastened to the top of the fire box by means of a sleeveD formed integral therewith and adapted to fit over the smoke pipe E.This vat is provided with a cover D′ and also an outlet pipe E having aspigot E′.

A cooking vessel is disclosed in the Clayton U.S. Pat. No. 1,272,222that includes a cooking vessel 10 having an outlet nipple 11 in which isrotatably mounted on a valve plug 12. This valve structure enables theliquid to be easily drawn off.

The Jobe U.S. Pat. No. 1,390,908 discloses a cooking vessel that has anouter pipe 20 that has one end communicating with the inner receptaclefor drawing liquids therefrom, the pipe extending through the outerreceptacle and equipped with a valve 21.

The Austin U.S. Pat. No. 1,827,131 provides a pot drain in the form ofpipe 12 that is fitted with a cap 13.

The Baker U.S. Pat. No. 2,350,335 discloses a brewer or cooker that hasa drain valve 7 adjacent its lower end through which brewed coffee maybe withdrawn.

The Shipman U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,680 discloses a combination heating andserving assembly having a drainage outlet or spigot 32 by which theliquid contents of the container may be drawn off from time to time.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved outdoor cooking apparatusthat includes a burner frame having upper and lower end portions,wherein the lower end portion is configured to engage an underlyingsupport surface, the upper end portion providing a pot support.

A burner element is mounted on the frame for providing a flame to beused during cooking. A pot rests upon the pot support during cooking,the pot having a generally square or rectangular bottom panel, aplurality of side walls, an open top, a pot rim, and an interior forholding a cooking fluid.

One or more inserts or racks are provided that are sized and shaped tofit the pot interior. Each insert or rack optionally rests upon the potbottom panel in a cooking position and can be attached to the pot rim ina draining position. One of the racks is a poultry cooking insert thatcan hold an entire poultry carcass (for example turkey, chicken, or aplurality of poultry carcasses).

Another rack that can be placed in a cooking medium within the potinterior is a perforated basket for frying items such as fish, poultry,vegetables or the like. In a preferred embodiment, two frying basketscan be placed inside the pot in a side-by-side position orconfiguration.

The apparatus of the present invention can be used to steam items when asteamer plate is placed above and supported by the poultry cookinginsert.

The present invention can be used with more than one cooking medium,such as with oil or with water. Water is preferably used when steaming,or when cooking certain seafood items that are boiled such as shrimp orcrabs. An oil cooking medium is used when frying certain items such aspoultry, fish, or vegetables.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention showing the burner,

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention showing the pot;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatusof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective, exploded view of a preferred embodimentof the apparatus of the present invention illustrating the poultrycooking insert;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention illustrating the poultry cookinginsert in a draining position;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention illustrating the poultry cookinginsert;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention showing the pot lifter;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention illustrating pot, burner, and insert;

FIG. 9 is a sectional, elevation view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention illustrating the pot and food holdingbasket insert in a cooking position;

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention illustrating the steamer plate; and

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatus of the present invention illustrating the poultry cookinginsert and steamer plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 3, 8, and 9 show a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of thepresent invention, designated generally the numeral 10. Outdoor cookingapparatus 10 includes a burner frame 11 that supports a pot 12. Theburner frame provides a generally rectangular base 13 that can be in theform of a square or rectangular member. A plurality of legs 14, 15, 16,17 extend upwardly along the generally vertical path from base 13 to apot support 23 that can be comprised of a plurality of beams 18, 19, 20,21. Each beam 18-21 includes a vertical barrier portion 22 to restrainlateral movement of pot 12. The pot 12 provides a bottom panel 35 thatrests upon horizontal support surface 23. Vertical barrier 22 portion ofeach beam 18-21 restrains the pot 12 by engaging sidewall panels 37, 38,39, 40 and preventing lateral movement of the pot 12 during cooking.

Frame 11 provides a shroud 24 that surrounds burner element 29 toprovide a wind guard, a plurality of grate members 25, 26, 27, 28. Aburner element support beam can be used to support a commerciallyavailable burner element 29 inside shroud 24. A slot 30 in shroud 24enables a part of the burner element to exit the shroud 24 and attach toa supply of fuel such as a propane or butane tank, regulator, and supplyhose. Each grate member 25, 26, 27, 28 can be welded at one end portionto a leg 14, 15, 16, 17 next to a bend 31, 32, 33, 34. At its other end,each grate member is connected (e.g. welded) to shroud 24. In thisfashion, grate members 25, 26, 27, 28 function to support pot 12 andshroud 24.

It should be understood that such a gaseous fuel supply is well known inthe art and typically includes a propane or butane tank, regulator andhose with appropriate fittings for interfacing between the hose and theburner element. Such burner elements are well known in the art,commercially available and can be seen in one or more of the aboveincorporated by reference Bourgeois patents.

Each leg 14, 15, 16, 17 has a bend 31, 32, 33, 34 respectively. Thiscombination of the placement, spacing, and length of legs 14, 15, 16, 17the size and shape of base 13, and the bends 31, 32, 33, 34 enable thepot 12 to be stored inside defined by base 13 and legs 14, 15, 16, 17and under pot support 23. The overall height of pot 12 can thus be lessthan the height of each leg 14, 15, 16, 17. Once stored, shroud 24 ispositioned inside pot 12 interior 47.

Pot 12 includes a bottom panel 35, a plurality of sidewall panels 37,38, 39, 40 that define a lower section 36. Pot upper section 41 includesa plurality of preferably four inclined wall panels 42, 43, 44, 45.

Pot rim 46 can provide a continuous upper edge that is defined by thetop of each of the inclined wall panels 42, 43, 44, 45. During cooking,any of a selected plurality of cooking inserts, baskets or racks 48, 50can be attached to the pot rim 46 for draining excess cooking fluid(e.g. oil) from a food item. When the selected insert 48, 50 is attachedto the pot rim 46, cooking fluids such as water or oil can drain backinto pot 12 interior 47. A thermometer 77 can be supported with supports78,79 so that the temperature of the cooking fluid in pot interior 47can be monitored.

The selected inserts or racks can include the poultry cooking insert 50,or a basket (or baskets) 48 having handle 49. Handle 49 can be bent totrack the shape of pot 12 wall. The uppermost end of handle 49preferably extends above pot rim 46. In a preferred embodiment, morethan one basket 48 can be provided, such as the two baskets shown inFIG. 3. Two baskets 48 can be sized and shaped to fit side-by-sidewithin the confines of sidewall panels 37, 38, 39, 40.

The side-by-side cooking baskets 48 can occupy about the same area assteamer plate 62 or pot bottom panel 35. It should be understood thateither one of or both of the baskets 48 can be removed and attached topot rim 46 using basket hanger 69 after cooking. Hanger 69 enables auser to cook items in one basket 48 while draining items that havealready been cooked and that are contained in the other basket 48.

Poultry cooking insert 50 as shown in FIGS. 4-6, 8, 11. Poultry cookinginsert 50 includes one or more longitudinal beams 51 and one or moretransverse beams 52. The beams 51, 52 can be welded together. Atopposing end portions of longitudinal beam 51 there are providedvertical beams 53, 54 respectively, each having a lifting hook or eyelet55 or 56.

Poultry skewer 57 extends from one of the vertical beams 53, 54longitudinally, roughly parallel to the longitudinal beams 51 (see FIG.4). One or more curved supports 58, 59 can be attached to thelongitudinal beams 51 for assisting in the support of a large poultryitem such as the turkey carcass 70 shown in FIG. 5. Hangers 60, 61 canbe fork-shaped members that enable the poultry cooking insert 50 to beattached to rim 46 in a draining position that is shown in FIG. 5.

One or more vertical skewers 66 can be attached to beams 51, 52 forassisting in the support of one or more smaller poultry item such as thechickens 65 shown in FIG. 6. The vertical skewers 66 have externalthreads 76 that can be attached to the beams 51, 52 by internallythreaded boss 67.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show optional steamer plate 62. In its operatingposition, plate 62 rests upon curved supports 58, 59. When cooking withthe steamer plate 62, insert 50 is lowered into pot 12, against bottompanel 35. Water is placed in the pot 12 to a level that is just belowsteamer plate 62 so that boiling water can steam those food items thatare placed upon steamer plate 62.

When cooking with any fluid, oil or water, spigot 63 can be used todrain pot interior 47. Spigot 63 can be a commercially available spigothaving a valve handle 64 that can be opened and closed so that whenopened, the contents of pot 12 drain for disposal or recycling. Spigot63 can be attached to pot 12 using any suitable outlet fitting orconnection 68 such as a welded or bolted fitting or connection. Severalprior art patents disclose the concept of draining fluid from a cookingpot using a spigot.

Lifting implement 71 is shown in FIG. 7. Implement 71 can be grasped athandle 75 (FIG. 8) and attached at bar 72 to hooks 55, 56, enabling auser to engage and lift insert 50. Diagonal sections 73, 74 connect bar72 to handle 75.

PARTS LIST

The following is a list of suitable parts and materials for the variouselements of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

PARTS LIST Parts Number Description 10 outdoor cooking apparatus 11burner frame 12 pot 13 base 14 leg 15 leg 16 leg 17 leg 18 beam 19 beam20 beam 21 beam 22 vertical barrier 23 pot support 24 shroud 25 gratemember 26 grate member 27 grate member 28 grate member 29 burner element30 slot 31 bend 32 bend 33 bend 34 bend 35 bottom panel 36 lower section37 side wall panel 38 side wall panel 39 side wall panel 40 side wallpanel 41 upper section 42 inclined wall panel 43 inclined wall panel 44inclined wall panel 45 inclined wall panel 46 pot rim 47 pot interior 48basket 49 handle 50 poultry cooking insert 51 longitudinal beam 52transverse beam 53 vertical beam 54 vertical beam 55 lifting hook 56lifting hook 57 poultry skewer 58 curved support 59 curved support 60hanger 61 hanger 62 steamer plate 63 spigot 64 valve handle 65 chicken66 vertical skewer 67 internally threaded boss 68 outlet fitting 69hanger 70 poultry carcass 71 lifting implement 72 bar 73 diagonalsection 74 diagonal section 75 handle 76 external thread 77 thermometer78 support 79 support

The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; thescope of the present invention is to be limited only by the followingclaims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An outdoor cooking apparatus comprising: (a) a burner frame having upper and lower end portions, the lower end portion being configured to engage an underlying support surface the upper end portion providing a pot support, a burner element supported by the burner frame; (b) a pot that rests upon the pot support during cooking, the pot having a bottom panel, an exterior wall, an open top, the exterior wall enclosing a pot interior for holding a cooking fluid, the pot including an upper section and a lower section, wherein the exterior wall is located in the lower section; the upper section being attached to the lower section via a joint, the upper section having an expanding perimeter, wherein a generally horizontal plane intersecting the upper section at different vertical levels creates a plurality of pot interior cross sectional areas such that each of the plurality of interior cross sectional areas increase in size with increasing vertical distance above the joint; (c) a rack sized and shaped to fit the pot interior and for supporting a food item, the rack having a central longitudinal axis, and a hanger connected to the rack, the hanger enabling the rack to be supported by the pot upper section to place the rack in a draining position, wherein, in a cooking position, the rack is resting in the lower section of the pot with the hanger being located below the joint, and the central longitudinal axis of the rack being substantially parallel to the bottom panel of the pot, and wherein, in the draining position, the hanger being connected to the upper section of the pot causing the rack to be supported by the upper section of the pot, and wherein the connection between the hanger and the upper section of the pot causes the central longitudinal axis of the rack to be in a substantially horizontal position when the hanger is connected to the upper section of the pot so that the supported food item is located in a position that does not extend below the joint.
 2. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rack has one or more arms with lifting members, and when the rack is located in the pot interior the arms extending upwardly causing the lifting members to extend to a vertical position located above the joint, and enabling the rack to be lifted by the lifting hooks.
 3. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rack has a skewer for supporting a skewered turkey carcass, and the skewer is optionally selectable to extend generally horizontally or generally vertically in the cooking position.
 4. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rack has a retainer that laterally restrains the rack when located in the pot interior.
 5. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a steamer plate that removably attaches to the rack.
 6. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of convex turkey carcass cradling supports, and the steamer plate removably attaches to the plurality of convex turkey carcass cradling supports.
 7. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 5, wherein the steamer plate is supported above the pot bottom panel.
 8. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 5, wherein the steamer plate has about the same dimensions as the pot bottom panel.
 9. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 5, wherein the rack has longitudinal and transverse portions, and the hanger is attached to one of the transverse portions.
 10. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rack has a plurality of connections for a plurality of vertically oriented poultry skewers.
 11. An outdoor cooking apparatus comprising: (a) a burner frame having upper and lower end portions, the lower end portion being configured to engage an underlying support surface the upper end portion providing a pot support, a burner element supported by the burner frame; (b) a pot that rests upon the pot support during cooking, the pot having a bottom panel, an exterior wall, an open top, the exterior wall enclosing a pot interior for holding a cooking fluid, the pot including an upper section and a lower section, wherein the exterior wall is located in the lower section; the upper section being tapered outwardly having an outward taper with an expanding perimeter compared to the pot interior, (c) a rack sized and shaped to fit the pot interior and for supporting a food item, the rack having a central longitudinal axis, and a hanger connected to the rack, the hanger enabling the rack to be supported by the pot upper section to place the rack in a draining position, wherein, in a cooking position, the rack is resting in the lower section of the pot with the hanger being located below the joint, and the central longitudinal axis of the rack being substantially parallel to the bottom panel of the pot, and wherein, in the draining position, the hanger being connected to the upper section of the pot wherein the outward taper with the expanding perimeter of the upper section of the pot causes the central longitudinal axis of the rack to be in a substantially horizontal position when the hanger is connected to the upper section of the pot so that the supported food item is located in a position that does not extend below the joint.
 12. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11, wherein the rack has one or more arms with lifting members, and when the rack is located in the pot interior the arms extending upwardly the causing lifting members to extend to a vertical position located above the joint, and enabling the rack to be lifted by the lifting hooks.
 13. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 12, wherein the rack has a skewer for supporting a skewered turkey carcass in a reclined, non-vertical position in the draining position.
 14. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a steamer plate that removably attaches to the rack.
 15. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of convex turkey carcass cradling supports, and the steamer plate removably attaches to the plurality of convex turkey carcass cradling supports.
 16. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 14, wherein the rack has longitudinal and transverse portions, and the hanger is attached to one of the transverse portions.
 17. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 12, wherein the rack has a plurality of connections for a plurality of vertically oriented poultry skewers. 